


Nightmare

by armored_alchemist



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 07:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11939361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/armored_alchemist/pseuds/armored_alchemist
Summary: Ed and his nightmares..."And the elder Elric was scared, lonely, and really really really wished he could get just one single hug from their mom. But he'd never tell Al that, what good would it do?"





	Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Take it how you want, but I see this as more parental Roy/Ed.

Ed woke up screaming from a nightmare. Al burst in, worriedly asking if his older brother was alright.

"I'm fine."

"The same one?" Asked Al. 

Wiping his sweaty forehead, Edward replied, "Yeah."

And Alphonse stayed there, until he was told to leave, with a metal hand on Ed's shoulder. Which was not actually very comforting; considering had it not been for his mistake, that could've been a warm flesh-and-blood hand. But he'd never tell Al that, what good would it do?

And the elder was scared, lonely, and really really really wished he could get just one single bug from their mom. But he'd never tell Al that, what good would it do?

He could have leant on his brother, but half the time, it was Al himself who haunted Ed's dreams. Not to mention, how in the hell could he burden his baby brother with the terrible shit his subconscious tortured him with? No way, no fuckin' way. Alphonse was innocent, and Ed refused to ruin that any more than was absolutely necessary.

So he made another choice, one that he'd probably regret the next morning in the office.

Pipsqueak meekly asked Al if there was any orange juice. Ed knew there wasn't; that was precisely the point. Al would have to go out and get some. Of course, Ed made out like he was going to the store, tired and suffering the after tremors of a nightmare. Al promptly denied this. He took Ed's wallet, took a few cenz and skipped off to the local convenience store for oj.

Al was fine. Pulling back the curtain & peering out into the darkness to make sure, Edward got up and stumbled his way to the phone downstairs. He dialed a number he never thought he'd dial willingly, so nervous his fingers trembled.

Ring ring.

Ring ring.. 'Come on, bastard, pick up.'

On the fifth ring, he got an answer. A groggy, "Y'ello?"

Ed had been so intent on calling, he'd never got around to deciding what he might actually say. So he just said it.

"I- I had a nightmare." In his usual abrupt way.

Silence. Then, "Come over."

"I don't have a car. And I can't drive."

"Then I'll come over." Shuffling sounds were heard on the other end of the line.

"No, don't. Al's gonna be back any second and I... Don't need to worry him with this, any more then he already is."

A pause for thought. "I'll send Hawkeye. A very important lead has come up, but it deals with strictly classified information. No one outside the military is to know."

Edward hated to lie to his brother like that. Worse, he was endlessly bothered that Mustang could lie so smoothly.

"Fullmetal?"

"Okay." The blonde replied quickly.

"Are you going to be alright until you get here?"

"... yeah."

"Alright, I trust you. And -" Click.

Ed hung up, thinking that was all which needed to be said. Also the clink-clunk of his brother's footsteps were fast approaching, so he sped upstairs and into bed as if he had never left.

Creak. The bedroom door opened a moment later. "Big brother? I bought the juice."

He stirred gently, like he'd dozed off. "Hmm?"

"I bought some orange juice. Wanna come down and get a glass, or should i- " Suddenly, the phone rang.

Ed jerked up, sleepy pretense lost. 'Why is he calling?! That idiot! I told him Al didn't need to know!' He thought. He was too caught up in anxiety to realise Alphonse had said "I got it" and practically ran down to answer the call until it already happened. Belatedly feeling like a dumbass for not stopping him, he ran down the stairs, too, catching the tail end of whatever conversation was being had.

"Okay, I understand. I'll tell big brother. Goodbye." Al finished and hung up.

"Al, what-?"

The suit of armor turned. "Miss Hawkeye's gonna drive over and pick you up so you can attend an emergency meeting between State Alchemists. Apparently, there's a lead on the Stone, but it deals with strictly classified information. No one outside the military is asked to know, including me."

Alphonse's voice was undeniably expressive of his emotions, perhaps compensating for the lack of facial expression. Right then, Ed heard excitement, a twinge of disappointment at being excluded, and hope.

Hope. False hope.

There were no leads, what leads? Lead pencil. Lead from uranium. Lead a path of lies. No wonder the Truth hates him, stripping everything he had save the will to survive.

Those were the kinds of thoughts that drove Ed straight into depression, which in turn fueled his nightmares.

"Edward?" Rarely, if ever, did Al call his big brother by name. He must have been really worried.

"Yeah?" But Ed's tone indicated he wasn't giving any answers.

"Are you alright?" Basically the same question the Colonel had asked, with more of a right to know.

Digging, Ed used an excuse that wasn't altogether fake. "Lead after lead pops up, stringing us along, all turning out to be useless to us." Us, it had always been 'us'.

" 'We're gonna get our bodies back, no matter what.' That's what you always tell me. Don't give up, Ed. Have faith in your own words, if nothing else." 

Neither of them said anything after that, Ed struggling with inner turmoil and Al having enough respect for his brother to lay off.

Finally Hawkeye arrived, notifying the boys of her presence with a honk of the horn. Ed got up, waved his little brother goodbye and sat in the back seat, too nervous to take a nap. Riza & Edward had an unusual chemistry which amounted to an uncanny inability to make small talk. So the ride was long and, to anyone else, unbearably quiet, especially with the lack of street noise this late at night. 

Ed kept expecting to hear a, "what's going on". A prying query hidden under the pretense of innocent curiosity. Thankfully she didn't ask. Not that he'd have answered.

They arrived at Roy's. Before Fullmetal got out of the car, he apologized. "Sorry, Hawkeye." Sadness littered his words, but he didn't need to elaborate. She understood, and looked at his tired reflection in the rearview mirror full of genuine concern and care.

"It's alright." She knew there were things better left unexplained, and he knew she knew. Ed got out.

The blonde knocked on the door. "It's open," a voice from inside answered. Opening it, he beheld a black haired someone who'd waited for his little Fullmetal the whole time. Mustang looked about as exhausted as he felt, but let hell freeze over before he be useless to someone.

Ed stood silhouetted in the doorway, fighting off tears, nervous, unsure; wanting desperately to get here but not quite knowing why, or what to do now that he was.

Mustang saw it all. "Come here, Fullmetal." After he said it, he spread his arms to accept the scared boy running into them. Edward cried into Mustang's shoulder, reveling in the comfort he found there.

It didn't matter that they were both in pj's. In fact, for Ed, it only served to further emphasize his vulnerability. He was so very small compared to Roy.

Roy wrapped one arm round the boy's waist, and the other hand was a gentle rub up and down Ed's back. And in his hair, and his neck, and wiping tears off Ed's cheeks with the pad of his thumb. Ed relaxed, though still crying, and attempted to speak. He was shushed by Roy. Better not to say anything until you can calm down.

When the little Elric did calm down enough to speak, he'd fallen asleep.

Mustang stroked loose golden locks in a steady rhythm. He picked Ed up, carried him outside, and placed both of them in Roy's car. Just as he was clicking the seat belt over a drowsy Ed, he heard a "whaddaya doin".

"I'm driving you back home. Your brother's probably wondering why you're not back yet."

"No I don't wanna go back. And s'not my home. Resembool, granny, Winry." Ed shifted to a more comfortable position, sliding sideways to a fetal style.

Roy paused, wondering. "Why didn't you call your Granny or Winry?"

"Don' wanna worry em"

"So you worry me instead?"

"You're not worried." Ed lifted his head. "Are you?"

Touching Edward's cheek, Roy replied, "Of course I am."

Ed's eyes widened to saucers. 

'Thought I was just another subordinate.' 

He made a frantic grab at the colonel's clothes, catching some of the fabric in his hand. "Don't make me go. Please."

Mustang sighed. "Alphonse is gonna be awfully upset, maybe even mad."

"I need–" Ed was unable to continue the sentence, not liking where it was going.

Roy understood. He picked Fullmetal up once more and carried him back inside the house, over to the bedroom. Laid him on the bed, and laid down beside him. They fell asleep just like that, curled up on faux silk sheets, loosely holding each other.


End file.
